Chevrolet’s Aveo has the makings of comic gold. It’s the cheapest car sold in America. It’s from GM, ever the stooge to straight men Honda and Toyota. And get this: despite being the first vehicle to feature in Chevy’s ubiquitous “An American Revolution” campaign, the Aveo is built in… wait for it… Bupyong, South Korea. Ba-dum ching!

From where else would the Aveo hail? Daewoo is responsible for its design, manufacture, and export (under such varied monikers as the Suzuki Swift+ and Holden Barina). Chevy’s sole Aveo contribution: the bow-tie badge. But let’s give The General some credit. While Ford and DCX have ignored the fast-growing subcompact segment, ol’ Number Two has been building Aveos since 2004. Well, sort of.

For 2007, Daew—er, Chevy has updated its punch line on wheels. That’s the good news. The bad news: this mid-cycle love applies only to the Aveo sedan; the Aveo5 hatchback stands pat until 2008. The bad news for GM: the half-revitalized Aveo line faces no fewer than five all-new rivals from Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan and Toyota.

Yes, it’s survival of the Fittest in the increasingly cutthroat subcompact class, and the Chevrolet Aveo isn’t looking so good. Literally. Most of the ’07 refresh consists of styling tweaks, and none of them addresses the Aveo’s awkward-puppy proportions or tall-‘n’-tippy stance. The Chevywoo’s oversized, vaguely bovine new “face” is in keeping with current small-car fashion. The vintage-2002 “Altezza” taillights aren’t.

The Aveo’s redecorated interior is more impressive. Compared with the coal-bin cabins of previous Aveos (and the current hatch), the ’07 offers big-car digs. Perforated leatherette upholstery, chrome-ringed vents and switchgear, and not-horrendously-faux wood trim grace the range-topping ($13,450) LT. Plastics are of the low-gloss variety, done up in a soothing black-and-tan blend. The driver’s seat adjusts for height; an iPod jack adorns the radio.

While the veneer of quality is initially convincing, it’s only skin-deep. Carelessly-placed knees and elbows excite flexy crackles in the Aveo’s trim. The sun visors meet the headliner with a tinny “clang.” Moreover, the Aveo’s sit-up, legs-tucked driving position and fishbowl view out ensure that Aveo drivers feel as dorky as they look.

Which brings us to the act of driving the Aveo. Normally, I’m of the mindset that econocars deserve a break (not to say a free ride) in this department. Their raison d’etre is conservation, not titillation. But the Aveo’s gas mileage is, frankly, terrible for such a wee little beastie. On the ever-optimistic EPA scale, automatic Aveos score 26/34 mpg. That’s the same as the decidedly un-funny Mazda 3i and Honda Accord EX.

But hey, if the Aveo is the thirstiest of all subcompacts, at least it’s the slowest! No, there’s none of the threatening “zing” of a Honda or Toyota’s four banger here; just a labored groan as the Aveo’s 1.6-liter, 103-hp mill drudges its way up the tach. An oversensitive throttle does its best to mask this paucity of punch, and adds a certain kamikaze flair to stop-and-go freeway driving.

There’s less to say about the Aveo’s handling, which is soft and secure in standard operating mode. Steering feel, however, remains a notable weakness. Daewoo responded to criticism of the original Aveo’s numb, vague, and darty helm by making the classic beancounter’s boo-boo of mistaking more effort for better feel. So, for ’07, we get steering that’s numb, vague, darty AND arthritically stiff in the turns.

Need another reason not to buy an Aveo? The mushy brake pedal may be an adept coffee slosher, but it’s less-skilled at the meaningful business of retardation.

Given the Aveo’s lowly station in life, this review may seem like a cheap shot at cheap wheels. It ain’t. This reviewer holds a firm respect for– and bizarre fascination with– basic, sensible, well-conceived, inexpensive transportation pods for John Q. Public. And subcompacts are no longer the domain of the desperate. Petrochemical paranoia is driving consumers who can afford big to think small. The threshold of acceptability is soaring.

It’s such a strong trend that Aveos sales are up despite the fact that the model doesn’t offer one competitive advantage over its rivals— not mileage, sportiness nor versatility. With better buzzboxes priced within a shifter’s throw of this Korean expatriate, there’s only one reason for anyone to buy a Chevrolet Aveo: to make other small car dealers and owners shake their heads in disbelief.

Recommended

111 Comments on “Chevrolet Aveo Review...”

I have a 2008 Chevy Aveo LS Sedan, and it is the worst car I have ever had.. My Air Conditioning has gone out twice now. My engine light comes on randomly, I mean don’t get me wrong I get great gas mileage. I personally hate this car.

Yes Michael, yes a thousand times yes. It is like buying your clothes at the dollar store and having them tattoo POOR across your forehead. It never lets you forget that this is a cheap car. The Fit and the Versa at least try to appeal to an upscale buyer but the Aveo aims directly at the college student who wants a warrenty but can’t afford a Civic. This is a benchmark car, but not the good kind.

Is it really so bad? Having spent a week driving an Aveo5 (hatchback), I can respond with a resounding and unequivocal YES! Only a certified masochist would consider the $10K basic Aveo (which doesn't even have AC). But if you move up the Aveo food chain you're in $13-15K range where there are much better cars to choose from, both new and used. Even a year-old Cobalt "program car" would be a better choice than a new Aveo.

Daewoo is probably one of the worst automakers around, resale will be non-existent, repairs will be pricey. Daewoo and GM have a long and contentious relationship, I would not be comfortable buying one for the long haul

I wonder how this Chevoo compares to it’s bigger cousin offered in Canada -the Chevy Optra. I had a u’wreck’em for a week through the Rocky Mountains, and it was…er…a decent ride -I mean it kept up on the highways, stayed true in the twisties, and endured high altitutes without complaint. Not sure how they’ll stand up to the long haul though.

durailer: You can buy the Optra in the U.S., it is badged as the Suzuki Reno. It’s not mentioned a lot, but I remember it was reviewed by Car & Driver in a comparison test and they put it behind the Kia Rio, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris.

For the Canadians on this forum if you want a good write up on both the Aveo/Wave/Suzuki Swift vehicles have a read at a Public Library Phil Edmonston Lemon Aid 2007 New Cars! I also think that if you purchase one of these Vehicles, plan to keep it forever as no one in there right mind would want one imho

To jump on the bandwagon: I get nearly 26mpg combined in my fully-loaded, gas-hogging V6 Passat (9 years old, too).

Cars this small and decontented need to offer a lot of improvement in economy for me to consider all the compromise. My only take is that this vehicle appeals to people simply by undercutting the price of better cars in the segment. People’s misunderstanding of the importance of depreciation is the current popular place to take advantage of them at the dealer level.

I would love to see TTAC review more of the smaller cars, like the Honda Fit or Nissan Versa … I knew the Aveo was bad, but I didn’t realize just HOW bad. Everyone seems to say the Fit is a really good value for the money, haven’t heard much on the Versa …

Altezza tailights? Britney was still sexy when those were in. It would be funny if someone started to offer aftermarket ‘normal’ taillights for the Aveo. Oh well, GM can easily fix that.

That mileage is baffling though…where did they source that 4 banger? AMC?

You mentioned the braking. I know it’s not part of your reviews to measure breaking distances, but the braking performance of the base model is horrific. I’d never fob one of these off on a college bound child.

In May, Toyota sold more than twice as many Yarises than Chevy sold Aveos. The Fit and Versa also beat Chevy in sales (the Fit by a little, the Versa by a lot). In fact, the only subcompacts that sold worse than the Aveo were the Kia Rio and Hyundai Accent-but those two are more or less the same car, and if you combined thier sales they would, in fact, beat the Aveo.

Add one more to the list of people who can’t understand how a “modern” 100 hp four banger can get below 30 mpg. The subcompacts of the 80’s, the Ford Fiesta/Dodge Omni/Geo (Chevy) Metro got better mileage than that by a long shot. My mom’s Corolla S consistently gets 30+ mpg in city driving and 40+ mpg on trips with more size, comfort, and even style (hey, even a Toyota Corolla is stylish next to an Aveo).

Having tried both the Fit and the Yaris, I can't believe that the Yaris is selling better, least of all a lot better, than the Fit. Maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me that the Fit was both more versatile and more comfortable than the Yaris.

I once did some spirited driving on the backroads in an Aveo, but it got scary quick. Brake fade came way too soon, and I felt like I was going to tip over. Nevermind the fact that it was an auto, which had that goofy hold a gear thing. I think I started in 3rd or 4th a few times.

I had the 2006MY Aveo hatch for a week as a tester in late 2005, and it looks like nothing has changed. Why is fuel economy is bad? I’d say nothing less than a fundamentally bad engine design. At no point anywhere in the rev range does the engine sound like it’s having fun. Most four pots will (at some point) have a nice settled thrum where they beat away happily turning petrol into go. The Aveo went from unwilling to gasping to downright artery-popping imminent coronary. Compare and contrast the 1600 mills from the Nissan Tiida or Peugeot 206. Even the Mk1 VW Golf (Rabbit)’s 1600 engine that was designed in the seventies is a million times more willing.
Daewoo designed and built a bum engine, and no one in management sent it back for another try.

The Aveo’s 4-banger I believe is sourced from Holden in Australia, and is old, weary, raspy, and low-tech.

I rented a 2006 model Aveo 5 for a week in LA. Sure; there was lots of stop n’ go. Sure, I flogged it a bit in the streets, just for kicks (it’s kind of fun to be able to floor a vehicle everywhere you go and not really get in trouble…like a go cart). When I filled her up prior to returning the rental, I did the math…and I BARELY DID BETTER THAN 20 MPG!!! I rented the small car for mileage in the first place, trying to keep costs down in the land of $4 gas. The car had 15k miles on it, so it should have been plenty broken in. It was awful…

I rented a similar sized car (Skoda Fabia) in the Balkans last month for a week, also. There was more highway driving involved, but plenty of stop n’ go as well in cities. And I flogged the hell out of it, because this car was actually…fun. I did the math again…37mpg from a 1.2L gas engine. And the handling was great. Daewoo has a lot to learn.

Also, of note…Daewoo’s reliability is like the worst on the planet, or at least in the US. Look at all the late-model Daewoo Nubira’s, Suzuki Veronas, etc. w/problems on eBay selling for dirt. This does not bode well for GM’s reputation as they rely more on Daewoo’s work…the new Saturn Vue is a Daewoo, every Chevrolet in Europe is a Daewoo, the new subcompacts “Chevy” recently presented are all Daewoos. Daewoo will help destroy Chevy’s reputation (well, GM’s) faster than Chevy/GM could do it on their own.

The Aveo’s mileage is especially mind-boggling when you consider that this car is the replacement for the Metro, which originally got 51 mpg on the highway with the 3-cylinder and 5-speed manual. And yes, the Metro was a pretty crappy car too, but at least it got one thing right.

i think that this car is bad intentionally, to get u into more upscale and more expensive cars in the GM lineup. Like a real estate agent that shows u a real stinkhole first so your expectations are lowered, then to the house he/she REALLY wants u to buy, also a pit, but less so.

This is the way that GM gas ALWAYS sold cars. If the least expensive car was nice, why move up?

The problem with this kind of myopia, as we know, is that there are far better cars almost everywhere. No one who ever drove a new fit would even consider the daewoo. Perhaps their audience for these things has on the same blinders that the manufacturer has.

HOWEVER – they are dirt cheap, and for people who want a NEW car bar nothing, this will fit the bill. You get a new car warranty, the impression that this is an american car (those blinders again), and cheap payments.

To the GTI guy – I agree – I love the new GTI – but it is at least twice as expenxive as this car. Pays for alot more and better engineering.

To the guy who wonders why the yaris sells better than the fit – some folks i know will buy nothing but a toyota, no matter what.

I like small cars too – small engines that sing. Or scream! Fiat has the best sounding and performing engines in my experience, but we cannot get them here, dammit.

I too would like to know why the milage is so bad in such a small car. Even my 20 year old 110hp 4runner on 32″ tires gets 20-25 mpg. Is is just a poorly designed engine that is horribly inefficient. Or is it a good engine designed for a completly different task? I mean, this is a pretty weak engine for today’s standards, maybe it was designed for a less “luxurious” car. In the far east, I bet cars don’t come standard with all these crazy luxuries that we Americans are accustomed to (A/C, Auto, Power windows, Power steering, Power brakes, etc). Maybe the engine in the Aveo is designed for much simpler cars and it just doens’t work well with the other stuff added. Or maybe it just is a poor design. Either way, it should never have made it to market, as there is no selling point for the car other than good milage.

Has GM ever offered a competitive subcompact in the US? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: GM management believes that customers won’t buy small cars and then builds lousy small cars that people don’t buy. Has it dawned on Detroit that the way Toyota and Honda first entered the US market was by selling desirable small cars?

Maybe the Aveo is actually designed to keep demand up for used Cobalts coming out of rental service.

The Aveo is like a kid’s bicycle with training wheels. You feel like you’re going to tip over in brisk curves before it takes a “set”. It’s not ready to play with the big kids yet. The interior was put together fairly decently, though.

Has GM ever offered a competitive subcompact in the US? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: GM management believes that customers won’t buy small cars and then builds lousy small cars that people don’t buy. Has it dawned on Detroit that the way Toyota and Honda first entered the US market was by selling desirable small cars?
Actually yes GM has had the Geo Metro/Chevy Metro, which may have been a cheap car (in so many senses) but it did check off the big boxes (very good mileage, and all things considered it was pretty reliable). It did own the market for low end transportation for a time.

Actually GM had been under performing in the entire smaller the mid size market for years until they released the cobalt (which may not be market leading but isn’t a freaking cavalier).

Ok, as an Aveo owner for the last 3 years, I’m gonna have to defend the car a bit. as of this morning, I have over 85k miles on the car (04 5spd hatch) with the only problem the entire time being a radiator hose clamp breaking. During this time, I’ve averaged 35mpg combined, for a car I picked up for just over 10k. Granted, this is higher than the EPA numbers, but I don’t drive like the EPA, and have run full synthetic oil since break in. (mileage was only in the high 20’s before the switch)

Yeah, it ain’t fancy. But I didn’t buy it to be fancy. I bought it because I knew due to my job I’d drive it into the ground, driving 3000 miles a month. Are there nicer cars out there? yes. Would I feel bad about what I’d be putting a more expensive car through? Definetly.

The bad mileage of the Aveo is flat out due to bad engine design. Consider Hyundai, the top automaker out of Korea, makes engines that are reasonably competitive in power, but not in mileage. Even in Korea, Daewoo was never considered a great brand. Let us not forget that GM bought up Daewoo after the company practically fell apart and went bankrupt. GM picked up the pieces so to speak.

The fuel economy of the new Vue is also being questioned. As some others have already mentioned, it looks like Daewoo definitely will destroy Chevy’s reputation worldwide faster than GM could have done alone.

The Japanese were, currently are, and likely will continue to be the best when it comes to 4 cylinder engines. Even with 3 or 2 cylinder engines, Japanese automakers have decades upon decades of experience building those, along with 4 cylinders.

Not even mentioning the mileage of the Fit or Yaris, the Aveo falls on it’s face even when compared to the Scion xD, a larger, heavier, and more powerful compact.

Snowdog, I always appreciate hearing from a real owner. It sounds like the car has suited your purposes well…and regarding abysmal depreciation, that really doesn’t matter when you’re putting that kind of mileage on it. Resale values only really matter to people who don’t keep their cars 10+ years (as I strive to do). Barring any emergencies, the interim asset value in use doesn’t mean much.

The Aveo sort of makes sense in the Asian market but for not much more, you can get into a better equipped Cobalt. My guess is, that’s the point of having the Aveo in North America. The Aveo is GM’s basement level car. The Aveo helps lower GM’s CAFE ratings so the rest of the real car enthusiasts can look at Corvettes and Hummers.

Re: Mileage, this confirms what I said in another comment that the big 2.8 just don’t seem to be willing to try to make an efficient, reliable, powerful 4 cyl engine. Hell, my 1984 Mazda B2000 pickup regularly got mileage in the mid-30s, and that was with a carbureted engine. Of course, it was so slow I was in danger of being passed by glaciers, but it could still haul 800 – 1000 lb along with a driver and passenger.

There is a real problem with this segment of the car market, and I’m not sure how manufacturers address it. The problem is that cars (all cars, even the domestics) have gotten so good over the last 20-25 years that a late-model-used car is now the equal of a new car in terms of practical reliability (by “practical reliability” I mean the kind of reliability that is likely to matter to a user in the real world.) With most imports having 5/60k powertrain warranties, a potential Aveo buyer with $10-$12k to spend has to realize that he can get a late model used Toyonda for about the same price, and have a better car to boot (with a higher resale value when he’s done with it, too.) So unless the potential buyer just has to have a new car, why buy the Aveo over the 3 year old Camry or Civic?

Having tried both the Fit and the Yaris, I can’t believe that the Yaris is selling better, least of all a lot better, than the Fit. Maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me that the Fit was both more versatile and more comfortable than the Yaris.

The Fit just doesn’t get enough production sent to the US. If the supply were increased, it’d probably at least reach parity with the Yaris sales-wise. The Fit is still a hard car to find, and getting one for less than MSRP is pretty much impossible (also, MSRP is only $500 or so over invoice).

Snowdog – you should be commended for spending 3000 miles a month in this car. Assuming you are being reimbursed for business miles, I hope you are banking that 48.5 cents per mile for a better work car in the near future.

RE: mileage. One of the auto rags reviewed the Aveo a while back and the reviewer got about 23 mpg in real workd driving. His explanation was that he would have to wind the engine out during frequent downshifts to make it up even the smallest of inclines during highway driving. There was just no power in top gear to make it up small hills.

I think this car has a very nice interior. And I don’t mind a slow car, so performance isn’t an issue for me. However, if I’m going to subject myself to the daily humiliation of being seen in an Aveo, I’d at least like awesome fuel economy as a trade-off. For the fuel economy in this car, you might as well buy a less-embarassing compact.

As for the Yaris selling better than the Fit, some people put more importance on exterior styling when purchasing a car. On paper, the Fit seems like the perfect car for my needs. I just can’t tolerate the front end styling. The new Scion xD, however, hits the nail on the head.

NN: The Vue isn’t a Daewoo. According to Car and Driver, the Daewoo studios participated in the styling of the vehicle, but the engineering was done almost entirely in Germany by Opel. The 3.6 V6 and the 6-speed of the top-end model are American designs, I believe. So far, the Aveo is the only beach head of the Chevywooism in the US. Except, of course, for most of poor Suzuki’s lineup.

Partly correct. The Vue and Opel Antara were engineered by Daewoo and are based on the GM Theta platform (as are the Equinox, Chevy Captiva, and Daewoo Winstorm). The Antara will be built in Korea to be sold in Germany. The Vue will be built in Mexico for the North American market.

Think about all this in the context of Detroit’s current whining in the face of impending higher CAFE requrements. They say it will cost too much money to produce more efficient vehicles. And yet they nickel and dimed the car that should be bringing their CAFE waaaaaaay up. (By nickel and dime I mean crappy ancient low tech power train.)

I haven’t a clue but I’m guessing the Aveo has no variable valve timing and that the Yaris and Fit do, for example.

And all Detroit can do is whine that mileage increases are simply not possible.

Back during the Clinton era during the last strong push for higher CAFE, a GM executive had a great quote regarging CAFE and Americans’ preference in vehicles: “We used to make a car that got 50 MPG (Geo Metro XFi – an absolute complete stripped car) and we only sold 5,000 last year. Americans don’t care about mileage.”

So they put out this total POS that does happen to get 50 MPG, and when it doesn’t sell 100,000 a year they claim it’s all due to American preferences.

veering off topic re: the Honda Fit – I’ve seen quite a few comments about different Honda models being in short supply. is Honda having that much trouble with their production capacity globally? It seems like they are really missing out to Toyota on the NA market share grab.

Mileage was a big factor in getting my Corolla. I get just under epa estimates in hilly Little Rock and well over epa on the highway (43 mpg has been my best tank so far).

The 130 hp. four valves per cylinder engine produces as much torque as the light front end and little tires can handle, and I upgraded the front rubber after I got a flat.

The 08 Corolla is to have a 5-speed auto and a mpg or two better over the current version. That the Aveo doesn’t compete now will only get worse next year.

My Corolla has power windows & locks, a/c, alloy wheels and cruise and great mileage. The only faults are that the turning circle is lousy and the ride is bouncier than I like. I gladly paid a little more than I could have for it. Unless it is wrecked it should last three times as long as it took to pay for it.

After reading more of the comments it seems like the Fit and Aveo are polar opposites in this class, and both have limited appeal because of it.

The Aveo is poor at everything except pricing. The Fit is super-awesome nice, but rivals a base 4-cyl 5-spd Fusion in price. (lousy value for a high-value car) The sweet spot seems to be the Yaris/Versa.

Oh, everyone should read Jay Shoemaker’s review of the Versa and Farago’s take on the Yaris.

Some one mentioned the Chevy Epica(Canada only)since discontinued by GM, my friend purchased one in 2004 as it had a $7,000 discount at that time, since then the vehicle has changed a little.,its similar to the Suzuki Verona. In 2006 GM offered up to $3,500 discounts to reduce there inventory. In the long term, no one knows what will happen to this Daewoo orphan!

Having tried both the Fit and the Yaris, I can’t believe that the Yaris is selling better, least of all a lot better, than the Fit. Maybe I missed something, but it seemed to me that the Fit was both more versatile and more comfortable than the Yaris.

Around here, the Fits all have a lot of “additional dealer markup” in its various forms. And while the Fit is the polar opposite of the Aveo, Honda’s own basic Civic DX gets the same gas mileage, has slightly better performance, and costs about the same. I think that Honda is losing Fit sales to their own Civic line.

Wow, where does one put the blame. Hyundai makes perfectly decent little cars in Korea.

It’s official, GM is run by idiots. As much as I love to scream about unions, they aren’t at fault here at all. Nope, GM actually just rebadged a DUD. They can’t even SHOP for a decent car, let alone build one.

Johnson: I see your point; I am not arguing that Toyota does no engineering, it’s just that Honda and Toyota have different focus.

For example, I cannot name a single current year model Toyota that has any sporting pretensions, whereas Honda has several. The last sport compact car made by Toyota was the Corolla S. I guess they had to put the 180hp Celica GT-S engine to good use, after discontinuing that model, as Lotus only needs so many for their Elises and Exiges. Whereas, Honda makes a bunch of I4 sport compacts, e.g., Civic and TSX.

As for F1 v. NASCAR, I am trying to point out that Honda’s racing efforts are more related to engineering, whereas Toyota’s are more related to marketing. Like I said, different focus.

Did you all see the latest “News” from the Big 2.5 Guys? They want to reduce the wages of there employees so they can compete better? Ahh the poor things,lol bring the wages down for all the Union people so they can again make a large profit! Its a crazy world isnt it!

Eh… I’ve been a little disappointed with Honda’s sub-2.0L engines. Just kind of gutless. Compare that to Toyota’s 1.8L. Comparable (sometimes better) fuel mileage, and it has a really nice torque curve. It may not be as smooth as some of Honda’s more recent small engines, but I’d rather have something with a little juice that still gets great mileage, and in that case I’ll take the 1ZZFE. It sounds better too (tip: open up that airbox). Now, once you get into the 2.0+ size engines, I gotta go with Honda. K-series all the way.

As for the Fit, I really dig the interior, but I think I would go with the new Scion xD. I haven’t been able to try an xD yet, obviously, but I think I would appreciate the extra power.

Yuppie, I totally understand your points. For what it’s worth, the Celica GT-S was a very good handling car for a FWD machine. Toyota not making sporty cars is another misconception. Toyota has plenty of sporty cars over in Europe and Japan, but sadly currently not in North America. Many Toyota models in Europe have manual and diesel variants, along with sporty/stiff suspension options. Toyota even sells a supercharged Corolla in Europe.

In terms of NASCAR, that is definitely marketing, but again different priorities compared to Honda. Toyota has more ambitious goals, and it’s knee deep in the truck market, unlike Honda who doesn’t even make real trucks. Toyota’s engineering is spread across a very broad spectrum, from tiny kei cars in Japan, all the way to huge heavy duty Hino trucks, and everything in between. Toyota is the only automaker in Japan that makes a V12 engine. Toyota also has plenty of V8 experience, while Honda has yet to make a production V8.

It should be noted that this year in Formula 1, Honda’s “Earth livery” on it’s cars is entirely marketing, and lousy marketing at that. Trying to portray itself as a green automaker in the context of F1 is contradictory. All teams in F1 do get a marketing benefit, but some teams use F1 for engineering more than others. Honda has lots of valve timing and high RPM expertise thanks to F1. Toyota, although only in F1 for a few years, is already putting it’s F1 knowledge to use by filtering down some of the engineering into production cars. The upcoming Lexus supercar is directly tied to Toyota’s F1 experience, and the V8 in the LS460 was actually developed alongside Toyota’s F1 V10 engine.

I think this falls into the “long after the price is forgotten, the misery remains” all they needed to was look at the original mini. something light but a stiff chassis with all its grunt low down in the rev range. Like a smaller version of that VW concept of a turbosupercharger attached to a small motor something go karty.
Instead GM flogs a POS to unsuspecting morons to help offset its CAFE ratings. and this losermobile is availible in the parts bin and cheap – sod the public.

One other thing – possibly the only thing Toyota & Honda should take from formula one. Just supply Motors to a good team ie Williams it costs much less in term of ego & cash. Its what Renault does (really the team is still Benetton) and Ferrari is a team that sold sports cars to finance its racing.

The Engine: Are these things really made by Holden? Aren’t they straight-up Daewoo iron? The lumps in the Optra and Aveo are notorious for poor electronics programming and construction, and I’ve heard of quite a few, locally, that have blown in less than one year of use. (One dealer blamed it on the improper use of “high octane” gasoline… 95 RON (92 AKI) is high? Bull-sh*t.)

There’s such a wide variance in engines that some 1.6 owners report mileage worthy of a Ford Expedition. Others report everything as being A-OK. There’s reprogramming available for the poor ECU calibration, but it doesn’t help some owners.

And now that the facelifted Aveo has come out, we have had another rash of blown engines and complaints of poor running. Not a good sign considering that only a handful have been sold. Whoop-de-doo.

—–

I don’t get what GM is doing with Daewoo. Aside from cosmetic changes, they don’t seem to be spending anything on mechanical development. The Kia Rio is miles better than an Aveo… it handles like a modern car, it rides like a modern car, and it has a potent little gasoline mill that pulls just fine even when you’re lugging it. Sure, it’s got a rubbery shifter and near-Chinese plastic quality, but I’d take one over an Aveo any day…

In Europe we call these things Daevrolets. Of course, we only get the hatch version of this Aveo(called Kalos) and then on top of that there is the Nubira (I’m guessing that’s the Optra/Reno) AND an even larger sedan (30K Daevrolet, in the Netherlands) that belongs in the 1% category of cars on the market that’s so unbelievably boring I don’t know it’s name. All of these are known for there underperforming and unreliable petrol engines. As of late, the’ve started selling them with diesel engines bought from VW, but who cares, really…

We also get the Captiva, which is sold as a 7 seater version alongside the 5 seater Opel Antara, both nearly/exactly the same car as the new Saturn Vue.
As there are no other Chevys on the European market and the Corvette is sold as a seperate brand, that pretty much sums up Chevy’s European brand image…

Bullies… pick on someone your own size! Actually, for looks, its not a terrible vehicle, and old ladies (who buy them with their late hubby’s insurance money) can be seen happily tooling to the pharmacy in these; but they only drive 2000 mi/yr so the fuel economy is a non-issue. There is a market for this car, but makes this Chevy the “Pacemaker of America”.

I like the styling on the 5 door.
Call me blind, but I consider it fairly stylish.

It is also the only car sold for under 10k (with the exception of Kia’s interesting financing options that are stated in terms of 9% interest over a non-negotiable long time period).
It occupies that odd niche on the market map that blends “must have new” and “wants cheapest base price possible.” Some people have their “mental map” of vehicles aligned like that. For others, their maps may contain things like overall value and enjoyment of use–those people may not want to bother with this vehicle.

Nemphre: I think most sport compact car enthusiasts will take the Honda B18C (both the GS-R AND the Type R variants) over the Toyota 1ZZ-FE. Also, the gearing in the Celica leaves you in the “low cam” after every shift, whereas in the Integra you can stay on the VTEC cam after every shift. Hence Lotus had to mod the ECU and the gear ratio to get around that.

Note that I compared the two last-gen engines, not Honda’s K-series, just to be fair. Now many Honda and Acura vehicles are on some variant of the K, whereas the Scion xC (arguably Toyota’s only sport compact in the USDM) uses… the 2.4L hand-me-down from the base Camry.

Johnson: I think we’re mostly in agreement. But I would like to see more sporty 4-bangers here in the U.S.

The Aveo doesn’t help GM’s CAFE numbers really, because it is made outside NAFTA-land, so it is considered an import. The only other “import” (non-North America-Mexico and Canada are considered domestic) cars GM sells are Australian Holdens rebadged as Pontiacs (formerly the GTO, plus the upcoming G8).

You forgot my favorite Aveo feature: comes standard with an AM/FM radio WITHOUT CD player — as do several Chevies actually. Which, I note, is worse than having no head unit at all, which would imply you’re serving a hip aftermarket-savvy crowd. No, this is 1972-Vega-with-AM-Radio bad.

Sure, these days the CD drive doesn’t actually bear any additional cost, but to include it would be to show insufficient contempt for the small car buyer.

“Nemphre: I think most sport compact car enthusiasts will take the Honda B18C (both the GS-R AND the Type R variants) over the Toyota 1ZZ-FE. Also, the gearing in the Celica leaves you in the “low cam” after every shift, whereas in the Integra you can stay on the VTEC cam after every shift. Hence Lotus had to mod the ECU and the gear ratio to get around that.”

Actually, I used to own an Integra GSR and I can’t say that I’m a fan of the B18C at all. Completely torqueless, noisy, annoying, not particularly smooth. It only puts out the kind of horsepower it does because it can rev like hell (8100). My 01 Corolla pulls harder and sounds way better. Granted it weighs less and cuts out at 6500. The Celica GTS doesn’t use the 1ZZ, it uses a 2ZZ, which I have driven, and it’s a pretty unrefined engine. I didn’t feel it was as torque starved as some of the car rags made it sound though. So I guess Toyota doesn’t have a very good sport compact engine, but as far as compacts go I’d take the 1ZZ over any D, R, or B series. I’ve actually always liked the Prelude better than the teg, the engine being one reason, but when you live where I live, you have to take what you can find when it comes to sporty imports.

A few years back, when Daewoo was a brand sold in America, Consumer Reports testified that it was one of the worst vehicles they have ever tested.

Apparently nothing has changed. :

It’s garbage like this that gives General Motors a bad name. Forget badge engineering, don’t think about interior materials, and don’t waste your time on updated products (because that won’t get you very far anyways with GM). Just look at the Aveo in its context. The Aveo still manages to remain one of the most horrible garbage (in lieu of other words) mobiles on the entire planet, a car I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

By no means am I a fan of small cars – any small car – but why can Honda, Ford, and Toyota make very desirable little economy cars yet Chevy once again misses the mark?

Well I am not surprised by the Aveo review typical GM. I hate Ford but anyone remember the Ford Festiva? The Festiva rocked it was very quick and a great little car.

In regards to the Honda Fit capacity, the new Indiana plant could produce Fits but I doubt it because the Civic line is their bread and butter. If there is enough demand Fits could be made in Indiana or Ohio.
Also consider Honda is not as large as Toyota. Honda does not have as many resources Toyota does.

You’re all losing sight of the real issue. Yes, it boggles the mind that GM, in its hour of need, would respond to the fastest-growing vehicle class in America with the Sanjiya of the car world. But it gets far worse than that.

Yet more terrifying is the fact that people keep buying them. No one else is horrified by this idea? Scion alone, with better mileage, options AND price, should have guaranteed the immediate extinction of this vehicular plague, and yet South Korea is pumping them out as fast as they can attain rudimentary literary skills.

The only fact giving me solace is the Aveo’s wretched safety ratings – Darwinism may yet come to our rescue.

I own a 2004 Aveo. I don’t know about high cost of repair cited in the review, because I haven’t needed one to date (09/2007). I did have a completely free warranty repair to the air conditioning system. I bought the car for (way) under 10,000. I get 33 mpg with a manual transmission. Came with air conditioning and CD stereo for under 10K. I am suprised that the gas mileage is not better. Note that the engine is manufactured by GM, not by Daewoo. I have not noticed any problems braking at any time. How fast do want to go in a car this small? I generally do not exceed 65 mph. Let me just say subjectively: There are a large number of people who belong in Japanese cars because that is the only thing they won’t destroy within three years. This car is not for that group. But if you like to wash your car and change the oil, I don’t think you will have many problems with this one. I had never owned a GM (or GM supported) car before in my 35 of driving. But they are very easy and inexpensive to work with. They see that my car is clean and well-maintained inside and out and I believe they respect that.

I've owned my share of Hondas and VWs and I own two Aveos at the moment. My 06 Aveo5 has a decent amount of work done to it to autocross and the wifes 05 Aveo5 is still a stellar little car. I clean up every track day against the few Fits I've seen. And the Yaris? Give me a break. They are quite possibly the butt ugliest vehicle (3door) I've ever seen. Guess thats what you get from a French built econobox. Fact is the Aveo line has a top notch resale value. Along the lines of a Honda Fit. Toyotas resale value, historically, is a about as good as a used rubber. Its few and far between to see one on a lot for less than $7500. Even a 4yr old (2004) model. Thats a 2K drop in 3-4yrs. How many Camrys can say that? As for maintence and repair cost, NONE. Not one unscheduled dealer vist for my wifes (25k miles) or mine (18k miles). Granted, my warranty was voided when I got into the engine but I thrash the hell out of the car and it begs for more. Its not a Civic or VW but its held up to the unrelenting abuse. Sub-15K cars are just that, cheap.

Rented an Aveo for a week because my Ford Ranger broke down. Wife loved it. Did a little research. Went out and bought one. Tons for the money with a few things found only in upscale autos. Excellent no charge/no worry waranty. Sharp, thoughtful & roomy interior fits 4 adults comfortably. Great sound system. Peppy/torquey motor (1.6 with a 5 speed) is fun to drive. Attractive details inside and out. Compared to my 2.3 Ranger, the gas mileage is fantastic. By the way, a friend of mine bought an Aveo for his daughter 3 years ago. Nooo problems. Yes, GMwoo cheaped out on a few very minor details. Yes, it’s an egg on wheels. Yes, the shifter is a little sloppy. (But, it actually seems to get better as it breaks in.) And no, I wouldn’t take it cross-country. It’s against the laws of physics to run ANY sub-compact over 75. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that.

The Aveo isn’t that bad, I bought an 07 hatchback for 2 reasons – price and looks its beats all the others on price and the only other subcompact that looks better is the toyota. I get a consistent 32 mpg (mixed city/highway driving) and in 6 months I’ve put 20k miles without a single problem. Acceleration is adequate with the manual, just keep the revs up and you can make decent time, McCombs may not know how to drive a stick shift properly. I also have a Lexus RX350 and a Yamaha R1 motorcycle so I do appreciate performance, amenities etc. and I do appreciate the Aveo, it does what it is supposed to do and I think it does it well. I would definitely recommend this vehicle to anybody,

i drive aveo 2007 in Jordan for a year and half now, Jordan which means its 1400cc.
i drove honda civic 1999, 1 year.
Toyota Yaris 2006 6 months.
Kia Rio 2006 4 months.
Gas milage you are totally right, but comfortability, performance and style it is better than all cars i listed above.
especially after smal modifications like air filter, headers, and exhaust system, wich costs less than 400 $

i raced many cars with bigger engines 1600 & 1500.
she never faild me until now :)

i will say its not a GOOD car for me, but its much better than many competitiors.

I just got back from the Chevy dealer where I started looking for a replacement for my Grand Am. I heard such good things about the Malibu that I was sure I was going to want one. Attempting to get into the Malibu I found I had to bend at the neck in order to get in (I’m 6′ 3”). The leather seat wasn’t all that comfortable and I had to bring the seat back down in order to get a couple of inches between me and the roof. Next I tried the Cobalt which was much worse at it had a sunroof and I felt that the top of my head was supporting the roof. It was early spring so I had a heavy coat on which pressed up against the driver side door leaving me in a very uncomfortable state. After mentally striking these two off my list of potentials I decided to try sitting in the Aveo. Holy cow I was able to get in without a can opener and the seat was very comfortable. I decided I will now have to go home and see if I can get the car with some decent options. I wish I could get one with all the options of a fully loaded SS Cobalt (I know an impossibility). For the environment I would like a 4 cyl and with the GM card discount (and my height) I guess the Aveo will be on my short list (comfort has to beat extra options). To be fair I didn’t drive the car (something I’m planning to do after scoping this car out fully loaded).

Hello all Aveo owners. I was told that all manual trans hatchbacks vibrate like my 2008 Aveo 5 . Happens only in 5th gear starting @ 54 mph and continues through 70mph+ . It is a Vibration that increases for approx 1 second then decreases for one second then continues to repeat this up and down. DROPPING SPEED TO BELOW 54MPH GIVES NO VIBRATIONS. If I cruise above 54 mph in 4th gear no vibrations. If I run the same rpm in 4th gear that I was running in 5th gear no vibrations. Only happens in 5th gear . Does anyone else experience this? What has your dealer said?? Class action suite anyone ???
I think the low fuel economy I experience may be do to this vibration that I feel through the front floor from both driver and passenger seats.
I have removed all GM or bowtie emblems and model name from vehicle. Any ideas please share. Thanks, Mike

my wife bought this car back in ’05 before i met her. i never would have let her do it if we were together.

it used to average under 400km per 40L fill up, ie 10L/100km which is atrocious for such a small weak car.

after 21,000km rolled around, each tank gets more and more distance. my last tank got me 470km and it was only 37L of fuel or about 8L/100km. While that’s not amazing, consider that I do most of my driving at 3,000rpm (130-140km/hr)

i’ve noticed the engine spins up faster and freer now. it takes less throttle to get up to that 3,000rpm in last gear. i’m guessing the engine wasn’t milled very well (what do you expect at this price from daewoo?) and it finally broke in.

my tires are at 38psi, non-synth oil every 4k km and original air filter.

Lol- you guys are beating the hell out of my car! Somewhat deserved. Engine is weak, mpg not great (5 speed, 23 in the city with 3K miles) and those damn little tires pick up every pebble on the road. tick,tick,tick…Another annoyance is the wiper motor is pretty loud, but with the radio on its fine. Went from a 6 cyl ’94 Z-24 convertible to this. Somewhat traumatic, to be sure. I will give little Bridgette the Midget some props though. This car is growing on me. Excellent storage area in back with seats down, smooth ride and 5 speed is decent, although no means tight. Had a full load of camping gear in the back and took some steep hills near the Mississippi that pushed her to the limit. Not a great feeling, but all and all no problems. Now the best part- when is the last time your down payment covered half the cost of a new car? This thing will be paid off in 6 months, tops. Will drive it for 5 years or so (knock on wood), don’t expect to make any money on the sale, but not bad for a brand new car under warranty. Great city car- easy to park and the lack of great acceleration not a factor. Another plus is it’s so ugly you don’t care if it gets dinged up, lol. Comfortable interior. Have not driven it in the snow yet, but thats my review.

It’s a bit spartan, but I like it just fine. It’s fast enough to pass, and gets decent real world gas mileage. The worst I was ever able to get was 24 MPG, and I had to work hard for that. I usually get 26-34 depending on which part of the county I commute to.

If I had another $4,000 at the time, I would have looked at the Fit, Versa, or Yaris. But for the price, it’s a reliable commuter car, and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s a big step up in style and safety from the old Metros. I give Chevy credit for importing them.

Do some more research before you call any company straight men. Honda and Toyota had their fair share of major recalls in the past years: the american media just does not make those numbers public for some odd reason that I really cannot understand. Honda and Toyota do things to make their cars cheaper as well though, it does not get public because the media is naieve. Things like combining parts like the cat and the flex pipe so when the flex pipe breaks after 50000 miles you have to buy the 400 dollar cat with it. Also your god of hybrids, the prius, look into how it is built, overall the hummer beats it in cradle to grave green standards.

GM builds AVEO to get you in the show room. GM lets you drive AVEO it is terrible. When you understand how the big cars get about the same mileage, GM believes you will buy the big car they make money on.

IF GM loses the sell, GM does not care because they do not make money selling AVEO. GM is so stupid they do not understand they have lost a customer forever.

GM has always marketed this way. That is why their small cars except the Corvair were garbage. This is why they never put harmonic balancers in their 4 cylinder engines, Harmonic balancers are absolutely necessary in their 4 cylinders. The Corvair head the perfect four cylinder design. I received 36 mpg when I drove my Corvair Spyder and would buy one today if GM sold it.

GM thinks they can sell garbage somewhere so you will buy something else off of them. They are sooo ignorant.

A year ago I got a retail just for the weekend, my car was in the shop.It was an Aveo, my wife drove it and I took her car to work that weekend she loved tooling around town in it. Easy to park and more room inside than we thought.Six months later I sold her exployer,and bought an Aveo from Enterprize car rentals. It was a good price,and only 9,500 miles on it.I’m running 10-30 fullsyn. oil in it,with a K&N air filter.She still loves the car,and we even drove it from Salt Lake to Vegas once. The mileage wasn’t to bad about 31.8 mpg,(epa est.34mpg hyw)but i drove 80 most the way. I’d like to know if there is any tricks you can do to improve that mpg.I’ve thought about removing the two exhaust resinators,but will that void my warrenty? My 300d gets me 34.5 mpg to vegas and back, and is a much nicer ride. But the Aveo not bad for an Eco-Boxer. Let me know on any mileage helpers Thanks Eddie

This car truly is a joke. My wife and I rented one of these little things for a trip while our Civic was being worked on.

The dash ‘styling’ near the console rides down into your knee. The upper part of the dash is sloped so as to make it completely useless for storage of anything at all. The steering wheel was at the perfect height to either obstruct my view of the instrument panel, or slam into my already irritated knees. Also the passenger-side airbag was perfectly positioned to shatter my shin and thigh bones during an accident.

These issues are NOT normal for sub-compact cars. My civic has plenty of storage on the dash area (nearly every square inch of the interior is wisely used), has a non-obtrusive yet still stylish center console, and an easily viewable instrument panel. It almost seems like they designed the interior of this car to scrunch the taller of potential buyers into going the next model up. I’d love to find whoever designed the interior of this ‘car’ and give him a quick kick to the knee, just to thank him for my now-throbbing kneecap.

Gah! My big lumbering 1985 Mercedes station wagon gets an average of 30 mpg (I’ve gotten 34 on the highway with a good tailwind… lol) and probably weighs two and a half times more than one of these things.

I have an 05 orange hatchback, stickshift, bought it new for less than $4k with rebates.
It is not a sportscar, an SUV, or a luxury sedan. If you want one of those, pony up lots more $$$$.
I owe $0 on this car, I have had no major mechanical problems with this car. My only major expense so far has been putting in a new timing belt at 60,000 miles (didn’t break, it was scheduled maint.) and new tires all around.
No CD player, electric locks, or other high $ add-ons, so it was less expensive to buy, less expensive to service.
I get an average of 33 mpg highway, drive on average over 65 mph, almost 80,000 miles on it.
I live in Colorado, can keep up with traffic easily on flat roads, not so much in the mountains, but it handles OK in the snow.
It is unique in appearance, much more so than the fugly cookie cutter sedans and SUVs that have taken over the universe. It looks like a funky little shoebox. I thought it looked freakish at first, but I like it now.
People who have never owned one, quit bashing the aveo. It’s a good deal for the $.
Glad I bought it! If I could get another smoking deal, I would buy another one.

When I bought my Aveo 2009 I was told 30mpg. I have never had 30mpg from day one. My Aveo is a hatchback four door beautiful color but it will stop in the middle of traffic, yes, just shut down. I have to put into park and start again. You know how that feels on a major highway everyones going about 60mph. Scary. It has happen to me three times. Also when I start it I never know if its going to start. For some reason it will not turn over or do anything. I have to just keep trying. The hold light will be on and that means the security is on to keep someone from stealing the car. Weird thing is that I never put the hold on. After about 5 to 10 minutes of trying it will finally start. You know how humilating that is when it happens to you at a gas station or going to a job interview. I would never or let anyone I know buy a chevy Aveo. I bought it because I was buying my first new car ever. I was also buying american. Is there a car fully made in America any more??? I dont think I will be fooled by that again or buying new…

Just put a new set of brake shoes in a 09 Aveo, they fell apart at 60000 miles, even the other side that had not failed yet I could just peel the friction material off with one finger, so sad. She was lucky when the right rear locked up was in reverse, if it would have happened at highway speeds it probably would have been at least a spin if not a rollover accident. Shame on you Chevy, she had no idea that the only thing Chevy about it was the bow tie on the front grill. everyone wants to say all this buy American nonsense, but I don’t want to a car made in Korea or Mexico. I would rather drive a Honda made right here in Ohio buy American workers.

I drove the Aveo as a rental in the Middle East this past week. It was a nightmare to drive, rather like being in a motorized shopping cart on a freeway. The handling and everything about this car was such garbage. I was worried, ” was the car that bad or was it me somehow?” “Could it have been that poor handling?” I was delighted to learn that I am not alone, that the car REALLY was as big a mess as it seemed to me. I can’t understand why Chevy will not care if such a lousy vehicle is associated with their brand.